'...I'm just putting the film in my head down on paper...' Chatting to the fabulous Peter Johnstone.

Hello again, friends. Pull up a chair and help yourself to a chocolate finger 'cause we have a guest today - Mr. Peter Johnstone; author of the excellent 'Echo', saxophonist, salsa dancer, spotter of people playing games on Facebook etc. etc. Make room, people, make room...

PETER JOHNSTONE...COME ON IN!!!

Welcome, Sir. Thank you very much for stopping by. Let's just wait a mo for the applause to die down...

Okay...so first question... If aliens attacked, you had to flee your home and you are allowed to grab just one item on your way out of the door (your family are safe so don't worry about them) would you take your Sax or your Ipad?

So many things to consider here. The iPad is lighter and easier to carry, but it's a bit fragile and wouldn't be of much use if it came to hand to hand combat with an alien. The sax, however, weighs a couple of kilos and could do some damage with a good swing.

Perhaps I could earn my keep in the post-apocalyptic world as a travelling musician. But the noise from the sax might attract unwanted attention and I might be unpopular if the aliens came looking.

I'm a writer who can play the sax, not a musician who writes so, when the aliens come, it'll be the iPad in my hand as I scurry for cover.

Good choice! Have you always wanted to write?

A grammar school education did its best to suppress every drop of creativity but, at university, I started several aborted novels, none of which got very far as I hadn't thought through the story and what I wanted to say.

Echo came after reading a string of good novels, but none of which quite hit the spot. I realised that the only way to get the perfect novel, for me, was to write it myself. The final version of Echo is very similar to the first draft as it was never intended to see the light of day. I wrote it for me rather than for an audience  and, once it was finished, it was meant to sit on a hard drive until I accidentally deleted it (which is what happened to all the previous stories).

Echo 2 is different. I'm very conscious that other people are going to read it and, as much as I try to ignore that, it does impact on what I write. E2 is a much harder book to write. Particularly the sex scenes.

Ahem...Okay, so you already know that I loved 'Echo'…where did you get the story idea from?

Find out more HERE

The story is driven by the characters. Echo and York already existed before there was a story to put them in. I did a creative writing course with the Open University and used them in several of the assignments. I wanted my characters to be believable and sympathetic, but not perfect. In fact, I view them as anti-heroes  In book one I allude to something Echo had done which, here and now, would make her a war criminal and I go into more detail about that in E2. But she's also vulnerable; trained and psychologically conditioned to be the perfect assassin but lacking some of the interpersonal skills that you'd expect of somebody of her age.

Each of the books has (will have) a theme. Echo was about duty versus desire and the need to belong. E2 is about identity; who are we, what tribe do we belong to? In E3 I will be exploring what makes us human. It sounds deep but I suspect that most people didn't actually notice that Echo had a theme.

I have to admit that I stole a lot of the underlying concepts. Anybody who's read Robert Heinlein will see massive parallels with Friday Baldwin - a genetically engineered artificial person. Interestingly, I was half way through writing the book when I read Singularity Sky by Charles Stross and realised that he'd got there first. Not only is his female protagonist a secret agent, enhanced in a very similar way to Echo, but she also had floating luggage - I abandoned that idea right there, although I'd actually stolen it from Terry Pratchett rather than Stross. It was a real Oh @@@@! moment.

My other thievery included Space Marines armour from Warhammer 40,000, and the Citadel is a thinly disguised Broadsword mercenary cruiser from the Traveller RPG. Sorry.

Once I had all that, all I needed was a plot. I think that's question 6.

It is indeed...do you have ESP as well as EAA (that's Excellent Author Abilities in case you're wondering...)? Never mind...when Ridley Scott gets his act together and makes the Echo movie, who do you see in the lead role?

When I write, I'm just putting the film in my head down on paper and it's definitely a Ridley Scott movie.

I trawled the net for pictures to illustrate what my characters look like and I found a great one for York. It turned out to be John Travolta with a shaved head and goatee. That works quite well as York, in my head, is probably a similar age to Travolta (although I made him a bit younger in the book to reduce the age gap with Echo).

For Echo, I'm thinking possibly Lena Headey. She can project the combination of vulnerable and hard that I'm looking for. I love the scene in 300 when she murders Theros. Hard as nails when she needs to be.

Ooooh, that's good - yep, I can definitely see those two taking on the roles of York and Echo. Do you use social media to promote your books? If so, what has worked best for you?

I've got a blog which I should update more often - I write about writing, about my writing and sometime post teaser chapters. I use Twitter to point the world at large towards the blog and currently, one tweet results in one sale.

I also have a Facebook page, but most of the people looking at that are people I know and have already promised to buy the next book.

When it comes to writing, are you a planner or more of a 'go with the flow' kind of guy?

Echo started out as a set of twenty mind maps, each one setting out what happened in a single chapter. That worked fine for the first few chapters and then I started asking "in this situation, what would the character do?" By then I'd lived with Echo and York for more than a year and I knew them well. So, I let them have their say and suddenly the story started going in directions I didn't expect or intend. Everything that was on the mind maps eventually appeared at some point, but there were big diversions.

E2 has a small set of scenarios written down; there would be a bar fight and some ship to ship combat, but I didn't bother with a plan for the whole novel. I knew how it finished, who would survive (not everybody makes it) and the underlying theme. York had a mission, and I decided to let him get on with it. This approach made the first ten chapters quite difficult and I didn't really enjoy that part. Eventually I got into the swing and, as I started to colour in some of the minor characters, I found it became easier and more interesting.

For E3 I'm going back to the more rigorously planned approach as I've got accidental loose ends to tie up. The AltSpace creatures reappear and Artificial Intelligence will be central to the story.

What do you think of the whole 'Indie/Traditional' debate?

I really enjoyed writing Echo, then I got an additional kick from seeing it on Amazon and then another massive buzz when somebody bought it.

The traditional publishing model gives a small number of people a chance to offer up their work. It's said that everybody has a novel in them and the indie route allows everybody who wants to have a go, to do so. Some of it isn't to my liking but, if I've only paid 99p, then I don't feel badly done to.

I do feel a slight pang of jealousy when I see pictures of you signing real books in a real book shop but then I'm not sure I'd have the bottle to do the same thing. What if nobody turned up?

With indie publishing , if you want to write a novel, then the only barrier is you.

Amen! I think I would have 'control issues' if I was traditionally published - I like knowing that I have the final say in the cover, title etc. etc. although I've made a lot of embarrassing mistakes...let's change the subject... Do you believe that Earth is the only inhabited planet in space?

No. Statistically it's highly unlikely and we're finding new planets in the Goldilocks zones of distant stars all the time. I think that we haven't heard signals from aliens because humanity and other civilisations exist for a relatively short time in the grand scheme of things. Blink and you'll miss us.

One day, signals from another world will arrive, but we'll be long gone.

Damn! I'd really like to be around for that. Oh, well...can't have everything. What do your friends and family make of your writing?

My kids haven't read it yet (as far as i know), my dad said it was OK (we're Yorkshiremen and that's as demonstrative as we get) and certain parts (!) have been read out at work accompanied by merciless teasing. I do regret the polka dot pants.

I did have a conversation that went:

"I've read your book."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"I don't really read science fiction, and it was a bit violent. I wasn't expecting that."

Personally I'd have thought there should be no surprises of that sort from a book with a spaceship on the cover and a blurb that says "Echo murdered her way across the galaxy". But, hey, I made £1.37 whether she liked it or not.

Indeed! When is the next book in Echo's story going to be out (I need something good to read!)?

I've just finished the first proof read and corrections. It will be going out to the first readers next week and, depending on their reactions, it could be on Amazon in a month or so. I still have to decide on the title. That's really important as Cathy Helms won't be able to do the cover until I can tell her what it's called.

Can't wait! Thank you, I really enjoyed the chat and yes, you kept me off Facebook for the morning - good job, Sir!

Right, folks. Our time is up for today. Stack your chairs neatly in the corner and can someone help me with this folding table? I can never co-ordinate folding the legs in and dropping the front...no? Oh, well. I can see you're all in a rush to get back to your computers and find out more about Peter Johnstone so here's where he hangs out online.

Best wishes

Blog

peter-johnstone.blogspot.com

Twitter

@Pjohnstonetwitt

Facebook

Peter Johnstone - writer

Facebook.com/echonovels

Men in leather - what's not to like?

The starting line at the Pits. Image from roadracingsupporters.com

Around this time every year something happens to my little corner of the universe: 100,000 visitors - families, couples, campers with tents and folding chairs, pensioners in motor-homes, motorcycles and their riders (dressed in tight leather...I try very hard not to drool) - descend from all corners of the world, the roads get closed, schools shut early, burger-vans set up shop on golf courses, footpaths get fenced off and there's a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air along with the sharp sting of gasoline and the lingering choke of burnt exhaust fumes.

The International North West 200 Road Race comes to town.

I have very fond memories of walking with my friends out to the area between Portstewart and Portrush where the riders' vans gather, the TV cameras catch the action, the grandstand seats wait to be filled and flags flutter in the breeze calling everyone to the 'Pits'. It was very different when I was younger - the weather was always better for a start (or is that just how you view everything once you reach 'a certain age'?), the Pits were a jumble of chaotic wonder where you could meet the greats of the road racing world, get autographs, sit on their bikes, watch as they made last minute adjustments and come away covered in oil and feeling like you just met royalty. There was an innocence to it all; a kind of devil-may-care frivolity that ignored the danger and celebrated the madness of it.

The sharp edge of the road-racing sword struck me deep the year that Tom Herron was killed. 

I'd met him during the week, chatted to the man, laughed as he signed autographs for us all and told us how it felt to be out there on the course, chasing that first place with the scenery zipping past you in a blur and the world narrowing to the view through your visor. His eyes were shining with excitement as he spoke and his smile was wide.

I heard the news over the radio. I honestly don't remember very much of what was said, where I was when I heard or anything like that, I just remember the feelings - disbelief, confusion, anger, sadness and the realisation that I would never be to speak to any of the riders again without wondering if it would be the last time.

Nowadays access to the Pits is much more controlled. There are VIP tents, little cubicles where the riders prepare for each race; it's a well organised, slick operation and everyone in our little borough is rightly proud of it. And every year I remember the rider with the dark hair and the laughing eyes and I say a silent prayer for safe racing this time.

Tom Herron. Photo from fingymoto.blogspot.co.uk

Here's to New Experiences!

I made a deal with myself at the beginning of the year - it was a really crappy start to 2013 and I was feeling kind of downbeat - that I would accept every new opportunity that came my way; no matter how much it scared me.

So far it's been one of the smarter decisions I've ever made.

Between book signings, readings, creative writing workshops in schools and a book launch I've had a terrifying but fun year so far. I figured I'd had my fair share of new opportunities so I settled back into working the day job, being mum's taxi service for my kids and writing as much as I could fit in.

And then I got an email asking if I'd consider being interviewed for a local radio station, BBC Radio Ulster, and their 'Your Place & Mine' show. "I can't make any promises," the email said, "They may not use your interview but I'd love to meet up and see what we can come up with."

Obviously I did the happy dance around my office...giggled a lot. Then the fear set in, I talked myself out of it a few times and then I remembered - new opportunity ...grab it with both hands...'feel the fear and do it anyway' etc. etc. etc.

The view from Harbour Hill in Portstewart and yep...that's my shadow!! :D

Which is how I found myself on top of Harbour Hill in Portstewart (one of my favourite places in the world), chatting into a microphone held by radio presenter Mr Ronan Lundy about books, reading, writing and how lucky I am to live on the beautiful and inspirational North Coast. To be honest, once I'd forgotten that the microphone was there, it was kind of fun - just chatting and laughing with someone about the places and things that I love. We  shook hands and he told me that he'd let me know if his producers decided to use the segment but I honestly didn't mind; standing there with the sun on my face, the sound of the waves crashing onto the rocks, seagulls calling all around and the taste of salt on my lips, I just felt very grateful to be alive. Mushy, sentimental fool? Maybe.

Last week I received a text saying, "They're going to use the interview, it'll be broadcast on Saturday morning!" I gulped. Really? Um...what had I said again? I remember talking about books, about the beauty of the coast...what if I sounded lame...boring...my kids would never forgive me! Still...opportunities and all that...I advertised the broadcast on Facebook and Twitter and then tuned in on Saturday morning...

Apart from the fact that I sound like Smurfette, it was...okay. I sounded coherent and upbeat, proud of where I live and enthusiastic about writing (I even managed to talk about my books without going off on tangents which is kind of a miracle!).

Thank you so much Mr Lundy and the folks of 'Your Place & Mine' - what an experience!

"They hate me in the produce section." Author and Photographer David Cassidy Stops By.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding for the really rather fabulous David Cassidy who has been brave enough to drop in for a visit today. Goodness! You are all rather loud and energetic for this time of day - you can sit down again now, here have a biscuit. Oh, and I brought coffee (no sugar!). That's better, now shall we have a chat with David?

Hello there! Thank you so much for coming along for a chat and a cuppa. Tea? Coffee? Orange juice? There may even be something a little stronger in that drawer over there...there are cob-webs on it? Er...no then..I have arachnid issues. Can I ask a few questions? Excellent.

Okay, let’s start with something simple…can you really juggle?

Absolutely. Balls. Time. Staplers. They hate me in the produce section.

Brilliant! I've tried but ...well, I can throw them all up in the air, it's just the catching again that I have problems with. You've had your writing compared to Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Clive Barker – which, if any, of these authors do you feel the most kinship with and why?

It’s a tie, actually, between King and Barker. King is the sublime storyteller; Barker the wordsmith. I like to say that King taught me how to lie my ass off and make them believe. Barker taught me how to imagine—and then to imagine more. I often feel like I'm a blend of these writers. I'm always pushing myself on every page and every chapter. I strive to tell a great story that is written equally well.

That's a great answer. I love King's grasp of character - he makes you feel that you know each and every one of his creations personally. Barker is the 'King' (see what I did there? Tee hee...ahem) of creating the fabulous and incredible and bringing it to life in vivid colour with beautiful descriptive language. Speaking of which .. I love your ‘Rocks and Rolling Fog’ photograph, what do you get the most pleasure from – photography or writing?

Thank you! That’s one of my favorites (and there’s an interesting story behind that particular shot on my blog at http://davidccassidy.com/2012/06/24/doh/). From a purely creative perspective, I can honestly say that the pleasure is equal. I'm very visual, whether it’s in words or images. I love to create art with camera and keyboard.

You‘re a big music fan too  – do you have music playing while you write? Or do you prefer quiet?

I prefer quiet when I'm writing, but not always. It’s amazing how inspiring Mozart and Vivaldi can be.

Have you ever imagined ‘Velvet Rain’ as a movie? Say you had carte blanche to cast whoever you wanted as Kain, Lynn and Brikker, who would you choose?

Being such a visually creative person, I write what I see. Velvet Rain—and anything that I write—always plays out in my head like a movie. So yes, Velvet Rain often feels like a movie to a lot of people who've read it.

If I could cast the characters? I've actually seen this in my head, believe it or not. For better or for worse, here’s what I see:

Kain – Hugh Jackman

Lynn – Jodie Foster

Brikker – Bob Gunton (the warden from The Shawshank Redemption)

Oooh, Hugh Jackman's fabulous and yes, I can see Bob Gunton (he IS Brikker!). I might have to have a think about Jodie Foster...not sure who I had in mind while I was reading...Are you reading any books right now? If so what are you reading and why did you choose that book?

Right now, I'm reading Gray Justice by Alan McDermott. You've got to love the premise: The justice system fails, and a man takes matters into his own hands—to the extreme.

What’s the best advice on writing that you've ever been given?

Finish that first draft.

Ha ha! That's good advice! Can I be nosy? What’s your current work in progress?

I'm working on a supernatural thriller, The Dark. It’s about a young boy who learns that everything has a price.

Oooh. I'm intrigued - will look forward to that one. If, like your character Kain, you could go back and undo something that happened in the past, what would you choose?

I'll look at this in two ways: In a global sense, and a personal sense.

If I could change something globally, I’d go back to the 1950s and tell the world how good they have it. Tell them to get off oil and make better choices—to warn them about how screwed up things are going to get if we don’t change.

From a personal perspective, I’d go back and spend more time with my parents. I lost my mother a short time ago, and I’d give anything to have that time back.

I think a lot of people would agree with those choices, David. Okay...I don't want to keep you from your writing, photography and music too much longer...final question? Why don’t you like clowns?

Because no matter who we vote for, they still run the world into the ground.

Now, for those bozos who dress up in make-up with the big hair and the big shoes … they scare the crap out of me. Am I the only one who saw It?

Nope...and Tim Curry was SUPERB!!

Thank you SO much for taking the time to call in for a chat, David. It was lovely chat about you and your wonderfully creative life. Folks, if you'd like to find out more about David and his work please click on the links below.

LINKS

Website: http://www.davidccassidy.com

Twitter (@DavidCCassidy): http://www.twitter.com/davidccassidy

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidccassidyauthor

Velvet Rain (AMAZON) : http://bit.ly/VR-1

Velvet Rain (SMASHWORDS): http://bit.ly/VRSW1

The Day I Killed a Camera.

I did warn them.

"Don't point that thing in my direction," I squealed, covering the lens with my palm, "It looks valuable and mine is a face suitable only for radio."

They laughed, told me not to be such a wuss, to sit still, smile sweetly and 'enjoy' having my picture taken. 

So I did. The flashes from the cameras, camera phones, ipads etc. lit up the spines of the books watching silently from the shelves all around us. I relaxed into it; ignoring the camera as I chatted and signed copies of my books, pretended no-one was filming when I stood up and made a speech about the power of words and the magic of imagination, had almost forgotten that the click and whirr noises were coming from a camera as I read an extract from the book I was launching, Demon's Blood.

We nibbled on Summer Rolls, dipped Chicken Satay into lime and chilli sauce, sipped (or guzzled!) wine or apple juice. The book launch was over. I relaxed and had fun.

And then I got a call a few days later. 

"Those photos I said you could have for your blog? Erm...there's a problem."

I got into the car and drove to his house where he was staring sadly at the screen of his computer.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting down beside him. "What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry," he said. "It seems that there's a problem with the memory card...the photos are lost."

I looked up to where the huge camera sat glaring at me from the shelf; I remembered the violence of the flash as it had gone about its business - catching pieces of my soul behind its lens, trapping my image on the memory card and locking it away forever.

I turned to the photographer. "I did warn you..."

Pics that survived my Medusa-like abilities, from the local paper - with thanks to the Coleraine Times (to my knowledge their photographer...and his camera...survived the encounter!).

Huge thanks to everyone who came along and helped to launch my new book. It was great to see so many of you!

To the wonderful folks of Waterstones, Coleraine for allowing me such a wonderful opportunity - I truly appreciate all your support. And to 'Whoosh' who catered for the event (your food was absolutely incredible. I've had dreams about that lime and chilli sauce!) and my mum and dad who provided wine and juice to wet our whistles (love you xx). That was another night to add to my list of 'things-I-never-imagined-I'd-be-allowed-to-do-and-I will-remember-forever'.

Sticks and Stones...

I am a firm believer in the power of words.

I've never understood that saying..."Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". What a load of rubbish! Broken bones heal and take the memory of the pain suffered with them but the wounds you receive from someone's words can last a lifetime.

Not that all words are nasty and painful. 

There are 4 words which, once uttered, cast a magical spell enveloping the listener in a bubble of contentment and expectation - these four words release you from reality and give you permission to live another life; to travel in the shoes of a princess, a knight, a space adventurer, a vampire hunter - whatever you want to be, wherever you want to go.

And what are these four magical words?

Once Upon A Time...

Best wishes

A Versatile Blogger Award? For Meeeee?!

I am so tickled (and slightly over-awed) that my little blog has been nominated for A Versatile Blogger Award by the rather fabulous Sir Seumus Gallacher (he of the wonderful Jack Calder books). 

So, what IS this glorious accolade, I hear you cry. Well, The Versatile Blogger Award is given by bloggers to other bloggers who are producing posts that they enjoy reading and find interesting or informative. The fact that a) it's a nomination from another blogger is pretty darn special but b) it also gives you a little boost to know that not only is someone else actually READING what you write but they are also ENJOYING it.

Naturally you'll want to find out more about this nutter who has gifted me with this nomination; you can find him HERE doing his thing, which is entertaining and informing all around him with a big smile, a couple of custard creams and (more often than not) his own rendition of 'Amazing Grace'. If you enjoy well-written, fast paced thrillers with  excellent lead characters and attention to detail then you may also want to check out his novels, The Violin Man's Legacy and Vengeance Wears Black.

Now, there are REQUIREMENTS for accepting this reward...

Requirement 1:

Nominate other bloggers that you regularly follow and enjoy (you also have to let them know that they're being nominated). So here are my 10.

Debbie McCune

Peter Johnstone

Bernie McGill

David C Cassidy

Uproar Comics team (you mean you haven't heard of the DEC App yet?!!!)

E M Tippettts

Christine M Butler

Raebeth McGee-Buda

Joanne Clancy

Tom Tolkien

Requirement 2:

I have to tell you 7 things that you don't (or shouldn't) know about me. Oookaaaay. Buckle up...

1) I'm not a fan of spiders...actually I'm not a fan of anything with lots of legs and the potential to crawl up my arm *runs away screaming*!

2) I haven't been gifted with that gene that other women have - the one that makes them go gaga over bags and shoes. I just...no...

3) I HATE housework.

4) Being lifted off the ground, even just a couple of inches, makes me laugh (possibly 'cause it doesn't happen often and I know that the person doing the lifting is going to be walking like Quasimodo for about a fortnight afterwards!)

5) Going somewhere that I haven't been before makes me nervous - it's the whole 'getting lost' issue - I have to plan the route for DAYS before travelling.

6) I love art. I'm not an expert or anything close to it but I enjoy beautiful paintings and photography.

7) I get sick on pretty much ALL modes of travel. Bleugh!

So....now you know! Thank you so much Sir Seumas for the nomination. 

Best wishes